Florida Keys Part 5: Best Restaurants in Key Largo
- The Anonymous Hungry Hippopotamus
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Key Largo’s food scene reflects exactly what the island is about: freshness, simplicity, and a mix of cultures shaped by the sea. Instead of formal dining, you will find casual restaurants that focus on what came off the boat that morning, cooking it well and serving it in a relaxed, tropical setting.
Fish House
Fish House
Key Largo is located in one of the richest marine ecosystems in the U.S. Consequently, restaurants emphasize dock-to-table fish. In fact, many restaurants will buy whole fish from local fishermen, fillet them in-house and serve them to hungry customers the same day. The Fish House is one such restaurant.
The Fish House opened in 1982 and has been showing off their wide variety of fresh catches daily. The seafood here is so fresh and remarkable, that Food Network featured the restaurant on its show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
In addition to eating in, you can stop by the Fish House and purchase any of their fresh fish to go.
If you choose to dine in, you'll find that the vibe in classic Keys.
Fishing nets and nautical décor abound in a lively environment where seafood is the star.
Deviled Eggs
To start, we ordered the deviled eggs.
That may sound a bit counter-intuitive at a seafood restaurant, but at the Fish House, the eggs come with giant, tender shrimp.
Hogfish and Fries
The entree was grilled hogfish served with french fries. Hogfish are considered some of the best tasting fish in the ocean. They have a mild, sweet flavor that is very pleasing. These fish feed on shellfish and crustaceans by rooting themselves in the sand. Therefore, catching them by traditional hook and line means isn't possible.
Hogfish are caught only by spearfishing. As such, quantities at the Fish House were limited. I was fortunate to get one of the few entrees left. By the time I left the restaurant just past noon, they were already sold out.
Conch House
Conch House
The Conch House is a family owned restaurant that opened in 2004. You can choose to dine in the tropical pink cottage ...
... or on the garden veranda. Either setting is cozy and intimate, giving the restaurant a relaxed, almost “hidden gem” atmosphere.
Cesar's Salad
The name of the restaurant makes clear the best dishes to order. This restaurant specializes in all preparations of conch, an ingredient central to Keys cuisine.
Cracked Conch
After finishing my salad, I quickly moved on to the restaurant's speciality. Conch (pronounced "konk" by the way), is a large, marine mollusk with firm, white, chewy flesh similar to clams, or calamari.
Its flavor is sweet, mild and briny. To enhance these flavors, I gave the fried conch a liberal squeeze of lemon.
In my opinion, this is the perfect way to enjoy the dish, but if you prefer, you can also enjoy it with the Conch House's house-made aioli.
Cafe Largo
Cafe Largo
If seafood isn't your thing, I suggest a visit to Cafe Largo, an Italian cafe.
At Cafe Largo, we started with the minestrone soup, ...
... in which we dipped our garlic rolls.
If you don't like garlic, give these a miss. On the other hand, if you do, these rolls, covered in minced garlic, butter and some parsley, are made for you. Because they come served in a hot pan, you will also find the bottoms are the tiniest bit crispy.
The main dish was an angel hair pasta with fresh tomato, spicy sausage and more garlic. I didn't find this to be standout Italian food, but it was tasty and Cafe Largo provided a nice contrast to the seafood-heavy island scene.
Num Thai Restaurant and Sushi Bar
Num Thai and Sushi Bar
Another restaurant that did the same was Num Thai and Sushi Bar. Upon hearing the name, I was immediately suspicious. Thai and Japanese food are hardly similar unless you count the fact that they are located on the same continent. Nevertheless, I decided to give the place a try because it was recommended to me by a local who had yet to steer me wrong.
Green Curry with Pork
We started with the green curry made with bell peppers, bamboo shoots, eggplant and pork. So far, so good. The curry tasted very authentic; almost as good as the ones I had in Thailand.
Next came the nigiri.
I was impressed by the freshness of the kanpachi, ...
... but not more than the preparation of the unagi. Like in Japan, the eel was grilled and served without the cloying barbecue sauce.
If you wanted to add sauce, it was provided. I added a few drops, which I found sufficient to enhance the flavor of the fish.
That wraps up my time in Key Largo. Next, it's south to Key West, the most populated and perhaps popular island in the Florida Keys.
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